Golf ball marking device



Feb. 13, 1940.

R. J. HIBBARD GOLF BALL MARKING DEVIQE Filed Aug. 22, 1938 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 H0 36] J. Emm

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Feb. 13, 1940. HBBARD 2,189,757

GOLF BALL MARKING DEVICE Filed'Aug. 22, 1938 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Zhwentor mm! 1 Hibbard Patented Feb. 13, 194-0 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2,189,757 GOLF BALL MARKING DEVICE Russel J. Hibbard, Mariette, Wash.

Application August 22, 1938, Serial No. 226,093

8 Claims.

It is desirable to mark golf balls in particular and other game balls such as tennis balls, with the name of the owner, so that when they are lost or driven out of sight in the course of play they may be properly identified when found. There are devices available for so marking balls, but these devices are generally of a nature that they must be permanently installed, for instance, in the caddy masters or professionals shop, and a single such device is used for marking the names of different individuals upon their balls. The marking die must be changed for marking the balls of each individual. These marking devices are generally expensive and comparatively heavy or bulky, whereby it is not feasible to supply them to individuals for their sole use. On theother hand, some little time is required to set up a die for each individual, and to mark his balls, and if individuals attempted to supply themselves with individual marking dies it would be found that they would not be suitable for inclusion in different types and styles of marking devices.

It is an object of this invention, therefore, to provide a marking device for such balls, which is inexpensively constructed, sufficiently small and light that it can be easily transported, if desired, and capable of receiving a marking die for a single individual, although, of course, other dies may be substituted if that is desired, and in general to provide a marking device which may be sold to and used by an individual from time to time to mark his balls.

lit is a further object to provide such a device which is simple in operation, which does not require that it be permanently installed at any place, but which may be operated merely by placing it at the edge of a table, and which when so positioned will effectively mark balls one by one, and which is thoroughly rugged and capable of long continued use.

It is a further object to provide such a marking device which will accommodate somewhat different sizes of balls, since balls may Vary slightly in diameter, and which is preferably formed ofresilient material so that it will, in part because of this, accommodate itself to varying sizes of balls.

Among other objects are to provide such a marking device in which the ball is properly and accurately positioned preparatory to marking, and so that it will not fall from the deviceja device which will hold the ball accurately in position for engagement, and shield it from injury at the commencement of the marking operation;

. .which will produce a straight line impression upon the rolling ball; which will produce adequate pressure between the marking die and the ball; which will release the ball automatically at the end of the marking operation, so that the device may be placed in readiness for marking is a second ball; which is provided with means to avoid spoiling the impression by smearing of ink, freshly imprinted on the ball; which has means to adjust the marking die in accordance with the imprinting pressure desired; and a device which may be conveniently and cheaply manufactured.

It is a still further object to provide such a marking device formed and arranged for cooperation with a suitably formed inking device, so that the inking may be accomplished accurately without smearing or smudging on parts not intended to be inked, and which inking device may accommodate itself to a variation of pressure of the inking element upon the marking die, or to a variation in the height of the marking die relative to the marking device as a whole.

With these and other objects in mind, as will appear hereafter, my invention comprises the novel marking device as a whole and the novel combination of the several elements thereof, and the novel combination with such a marking device so formed of a suitably formed inking device.

In the accompanying drawings I have shown my invention embodied in a form which is at' present preferred by me, it being understood that various changes may be made in the form, character, and relative arrangement of the parts, without departing from the spirit of my invention as indicated in the accompanying claims.

Figure l. is a partial plan view of the marking device, with parts shown in the position they would assume .at the commencement of the marking operation. 40

Figure 2 is a longitudinal vertical section through the device, with parts shown in an intermediate position, during marking. I

Figure 3 is a transverse section on the line 3-3, showing parts in position for commencement of the marking operation, and Figures-4 and 5 are, respectively, transverse sections on the lines 4-4 and 5--5, showing parts respectively in an intermediate or marking position, and in the terminal position, after the marking has been concluded.

Figure 6 is a longitudinal vertical section through a portion of the device, showing the operationof inking, and Figure 7 is a transverse section on line 1-1 of Figure 6.

Essentially the marking device comprises a 55 lower trough and an inverted upper trough, the two being relatively interengaged for lengthwise sliding movement, and when interengaged defining a tunnel of a size and shape to engage a golf ball, and to squeeze it, so that it may be rolled along the trough, along a path where it encounters a marking die, disposed longitudinally of this path, against which its surface is pressed by the squeezing action of the two troughs, to accomplish the marking. It is preferred that the lower trough be supported on a suitable base, whereby it may rest on a table or at the edge of a table, and it is not necessary, indeed at present it is not desired, that the upper trough be provided with a handle, since the marking may best be accomplished by downward and lengthwise pressure upon the upper trough to cause it to slide along the lower trough. However, it is not to be understood that the use of a handle places such a device, otherwise within the scope of these claims, outside of such scope.

It is preferred that the two troughs be formed of light, resilient material, sheet iron or steel be ing an example. Such resilient material facilitates the squeezing action which is necessary, and the use of sheet metal enables the device to be made light in weight, yet strong and rugged, and cheaply. However, other suitable material may be employed, and the squeezing action may be otherwise produced. The device will be described, therefore, as made of sheet metal, with the above understanding that other material and other forms may be employed.

The lower trough l is formed preferably of a single sheet of metal. At one side it is inclined upwardly and outwardly from a central point to form the leg H, and from such central point extends downwardly at 2, and outwardly at it, and then is doubled back under at M, extending as far on the opposite side of the longitudinal center line, thence inwardly, upwardly, and is then inclined upwardly and outwardly to form the leg Ill. By such an arrangement there is formed a base consisting of the lateral extensions or flanges l3 and the fiat portion lfl, whereby it may rest on a table. The portions l2 and the flanges l3 and It may be spot welded together to constitute a strong upright, and rigid base, supporting the two legs ill and ii, which are oppositely inclined in V shape from a longitudinal vertical median plane. This section is best illustrated in Figure 5. At each extreme edge of the lower trough are formed outstanding flanges H5 or equivalent elements, constituting longitudinal guiding elements.

The upper trough 2 may similarly be formed of a single sheet of metal, having a substantially horizontal and fiat top 2t, downwardly and outwardly inclined sides 2i, and formed with longitudinal channels 22 at its edges, which cooperate for lengthwise sliding movement with the guiding elements l5. For a reason which will appear hereafter it is preferred that the guiding elements 22 do not embrace the guiding elements l5 closely, but sufiicient space, indicated at 23, is left to permit some relative vertical movement between the two troughs. Furthermore, it is preferred that the flat top 2!! be interrupted along the longitudinal vertical median plane by a longitudinal channel 24 of some width, upstanding above the level of the top 26.

Intermediate the ends of the marking device a socket is formed for the reception of the marking die, which may be made of a linotype or monotype slug in one piece, or of individual letters suitably held together as a unit. Preferably this marking die 3 is supported in the lower trough, lying in the longitudinal vertical median plane, diametrically opposite the channel 24. The upright portions l2 of the plate may be swelled and spaced apart intermediate their ends, to provide a socket 30 for the reception of the marking die 3, and its size and shape are so chosen that the die will fit snugly within it. The die rests upon the bottom portion 14 of the device, whereby its height is gauged, or, when it is desirable to effect small adjustments of its height, as it may be for balls of slightly different diameter, the die rests upon a wedge 4, slidable along the plate l4 and lying between the plate l3 and the plate It, the plate l3 being swelled upwardly to accommodate the wedge and its sliding movement, and to guide it for transverse sliding movement. The wedge may be adjusted in position by an upstanding finger 4O projecting through a slot M in the flange 13.

As now will be evident, the ball may be positioned at one end of the trough l, composed of the substantially plane legs Ill and H, and upon its engagement by the upper trough 2. interengaged along its edges with the guiding elements of the lower trough, the ball may be rolled along the troughs by relative sliding movement of the two, the tunnel formed between them being of such size as to snugly receive and squeeze the ball, and the marking die 3 upstanding in the path of the ball sufficiently to engage and mark it as it rolls thereover. It is preferred that the ball engage one of these troughs, as the lower trough i, only along a line at each side of the median plane, as indicated at 4, Figure 4, and that it engage the other trough, as the upper trough 2, only along a line lying substantially in the vertical longitudinal median plane. However, the latter line of contact is preferably divided into two lines, each close to this single line, as indicated at Ml. This line is divided by the channel 24 in order to provide a zone diametrically opposite the marking die 3, of sufficient width to span the marks which have been just placed upon the ball by the inked marking die, so that these marks will not engage any part of the device. as the ball rolls true in a straight line along the lines of contact 4 and 40, and thus the marking will not be smudged. The two troughs may be so formed that the single line of contact is with the lower trough. and the two spaced lines lie along the upper trough, but preferably the arrangement is that shown and just described.

The tunnel defined by the two troughs, as has been indicated, is of just sufficient size to receive a golf ball, in the manner indicated, and to squeeze it somewhat to afford adequate pressure against the marking die. This squeezing and pressure eifect is accommodated by the relative sizes of the troughs and by their resilience, and to a minor extent by the downward pressure of the hand as it forces the upper trough along, the lower trough, bearing at the rear beveled end of the upper trough. Since the pressure of the hand is mainly downward. the device as a whole is pressed upon the top of the table which supports it, and it may either be held in place frictionally, by frictional feet IE, or it may be provided with a flange ll at one end, which is placed alongside the edge of a and which serves to resist such lengthwise movement of the lower trough l which the lengthwise movement of the upper trough 2 tends to impart to the lower This space, however, is primarily for a further purpose, which will appear shortly.

It is desired to avoid creasing, scoring or cutting the coverof the ball, and in some makes of balls with thin covers this cutting can be easily accomplished. To avoid this, the advancing edge of the upper trough is relieved, as indicated at '25, Figure 2, and is thus spaced sufficiently above the top of a ball resting upon the lower trough :that the sharp edge of the upper trough passes beyond the top of the 'ball before there is any engagement of the ball by the upper trough. Preferably, too, the ball is at this time received within a depression 6, within the legs l9 and ii of the lower trough, so that it is somewhat below the level it assumes during the marking operation. This may be seen in Figure 2. The depression 6 is preferably elongated and inclined toward the opposite end, so that when the upper trough, dropped down to the limit permitted by the space 23, engages the ball, as it rests in the depression, the ball, riding upward out of the depression 6, will move the upper trough upwardly to the limit of its movement permitted,

' the. height of the marking die 3 by the use of the wedge 4. Having passed the marking die, the ball now drops into depressions 1, formed in the opposite legs l0 and H of the lower trough l, of

such depth that the upper trough 2 now passes freely over the ball without touching it. Theupper trough, having advanced to this point, may

now be retracted, yet because it does not touch the ball there is no smudging nor repassage of theball over the marking die 3.

It will be observed that the ball is guided inv the main, and especially past the marking die,

purely by line contact, so that it may roll truly along these lines, as indicated by the pointsl and 49. Were it to engage generally over an appreciable area or zone, there would 51985 a tendency for it to shift position other than on a transverse horizontal axis, and the ink would smudge and become indistinct, and the line of letters might be crooked. The sides 2| of the upper trough do not at any time engagetheball, and the engagement by the upper trough is simply along the substantially single line 49.

It has been assumed heretofore that the marking would be accomplished by pressure of inked letters on the marking die into contact with the surface of the ball, and that is the preferred For the purpose of inking the letters of the die,

yet to avoid inking of other surfaces, either of the die or of the trough, I prefer to form the lower trough I with a longitudinal channel 8, having substantially vertical side walls 8| and a flat bottom 82. This interrupts the bottom of the lower trough at either side of the upper portion of the marking die 3, and forms a guide for an inking device, which is shown in Figures 6 and 7.

This inking devicecomprises an inking roller 9, carried upon an end of a handle 90. The end of the handle which carries the inking roller 9 is forked, as indicated at 9|, and'is provided with 'a downward extension 92, which is spread approximately the width of the channel 8, so that the extensions 92 at each side engage the vertical faces 9i of the channel for lateral guiding engagement. The amount of pressure of the roller upon the die may be varied,or the height of the roller relative to the die and to the channel may be accommodated by reason of the fact that the extension 92 is provided with curved lower edges, the curvature of which, relative to the radii of the roller 9, is slightly different, preferably continuously from beginning to end of the curved extensions 92. The curved extensions 92 engage the bottom 82 of they channel 8, and by moving the handle 99 somewhat more vertically,

a lesser radius of the extension 92 engages the horizontal surfaces 82', and the roller 9 is dropped somewhat, whereas by tilting the handle 90 more nearly horizontal, a longer radius engages the surfaces 82, and the roller 9 is elevated somewhat. By such means the roller 9 is guided along the channel 8 in position so that it just engages the marking faces of the letters on the die 3, and is not tilted nor shifted laterally away from the die. The extensions 92 may be somewhat resilientlaterally, so that they fit snugly between the vertical side walls 8|. 1 It will be observed that the inclusion of thechannel 8 does not in any way interfere with the normal opera- 'tion'of marking the ball, since the ball rides on the lower troughalong the lines 4, elevated above the edge of the channel 8.

What I claim as my invention is:

l. A golf ball marker comprising a lower trough having V-disposed substantially plane sides to engage and support the ball for move ment lengthwise of the trough, but only along two. widely spaced circles parallel to and disposed one on each side of, its equator, an upper slide guided upon the lower trough for movement lengthwise of the trough, and shaped to engage the ball substantially only along two closely spaced circles parallel to and disposed one at each side of its equator, and marking die disposed in the path of the balls equator, and. of a. width less than the spacing of the two latter circles, to mark the ball thus rolled along.

2. A golf ball marker comprising a lower trough having substantially 'rectangularly disposed and plane sides to engage and support the .ball for movement lengthwise of the trough. but

only along two widely spaced circles parallel to and disposed one on each side of its equator, an

- upper slide guided upon the side edges of the vlower trough for movement lengthwise of the trough, and shaped to engage the ball along two circles closely spaced at opposite sides of and parallel to its equator, each such last-mentioned circle of contact being between the equator and the first-mentioned circle of contact on the cor responding side of the equator, and a marking die supported by the lower trough, in the path of the balls equator and between the two closely spaced circles of contact, to mark the ball thus rolled along. 7

3. A golf ball marker comprising a lower trough having V-disposed substantially plane sides to engage and support the ball for movement lengthwise of the trough, but only along two widely spaced circles parallel to and disposed one on each side of its equator, an upper trough formed with a narrow longitudinal channel, and guided upon the side edges of the lower trough for sliding movement lengthwise of the troughs, and shaped to engage the ball substantially only along the edges of the channel, at opposite sides of its equator, the troughs being formed of resilient material, to press a small ball firmly in rolling it along, and by yielding to accommodate similarly a slightly larger ball, and a marking die supported by one of the troughs, said die being of less width than the channel in the upper trough, and located between the circles of contact of the channels edges, in the path of the balls equator, to mark a ball thus rolled along.

4. A golf ball marker comprising a lower trough having V-disposed substantially plane sides to engage and support the ball for movement lengthwise of the trough, but only along two circles parallel to and disposed one on each side of its equator, an upper slide the side edges whereof interengage the side edges of the lower trough to constitute a guide for movement of the slide lengthwise of the trough, the inter-engaging side edges of the trough and slide being formed to permit limited relative vertical movement, and the slide being so shaped that when raised to its upper limit of movement it engages a ball which rests upon the plane sides of the trough, but only along a substantially equatorial line, the plane sides of the trough having a depression at one end, wherein the ball may rest below the level of the slide, when the latter is dropped to its lower limit of movement, and a marking die supported by one of the relatively slidable elements, in the path of the balls equator, to mark a ball while it is being rolled along the trough under the influence of its engagement by the lengthwise-sliding slide.

5. A golf ball marker comprising a lower trough having V-disposed substantially plane sides to engage and support the ball for movement lengthwise of the trough, but only along two circles parallel to and disposed one on each side of its equator, an upper slide the side edges whereof interengage the side edges of the lower trough to constitute a guide for movement of the slide lengthwise of the trough, the inter-engaging side edges of the trough and slide being formed to permit limited relative vertical movement, and the slide being so shaped that when raised to its upper limit of movement it engages a ball which rests upon the plane sides of the trough, but only along a substantially equatorial line, the plane sides of the trough having a depression at one end, wherein the ball may rest at a level still to be engaged by the slide, before the latter drops to its lower limit of movement, such depression being inclined upwardly to the level of the plane sides of the trough, whereby a ball engaged and rolled by the slide, while resting in such depression, is raised to and finally rolled along the plane sides of the trough, and a marking die supported by one of the relatively slidable elements, in the path of the balls equator, to mark a ball while it is being rolled along the trough under the influence of its engagement by the lengthwise-moving slide.

6. A golf ball marker comprising a lower trough having V-disposed substantially plane sides to engage and support the ball for movement lengthwise of the trough, but only along two circles parallel to and disposed one on each side of its equator, an upper slide the side edges whereof interengage the side edges of the lower trough to constitute a guide for movement of the slide lengthwise of the trough, the interengaging side edges of the trough and slide being formed to permit limited relative vertical movement, and the slide being so shaped that when raised to its upper limit of movement it engages a ball which rests upon the plane sides of the trough, but only along a substantially equatorial line, the plane sides of the trough having a depression at one end, wherein the ball may rest at a level still to be engaged by the slide, before the later drops to its lower limit of movement, such depression being inclined upwardly to the level or the plane sides of the trough, whereby a ball engaged and rolled by the slide, while resting in such depression, is raised to and finally rolled along the plane sides of the trough, and a marking .ie supported by one of the relatively slidable elements, in the path of the balls equator, to mark a ball while it is being rolled along the trough under the influence of its engagement by the lengthwise-moving slide, and the plane sides of the trough, at the end opposite said depression, having a second depression of such depth that the ball, dropping thereinto after being marked, rests below the level of the slide 8. A golf ball marker as in claim 1, including a i base formed to rest upon a table and supporting the lower trough, and a flange depending from one end of the base to engage the edge of such table, offering resistance to lengthwise movement of the lower trough during the lengthwise movei ment of the upper trough.

RUSSEL J. HIBBARD.

even with the slide 

